Old School sports

So as I approach my 28th birthday this week, I find that two of my favorite participation sports are dodgeball and kickball. The thing that I love about kickball is the social aspect of the game; being able to meet new people and interact in a very personal way which is something missing with other sports and in this city. It is often difficult to play a sport and still communicate with the other team since there is so much emphasis on not only winning but in beating your opponent. We still want to win every game but once the competition is over, we all head to the bar to become friends.

I heart kickball!

I think Mr. Ed would be against this!

Apparently the horses are unable to form a union to protect their rights:

For the first time, all 20 horses in the Kentucky Derby were administered surprise tests for performance-enhancing drugs. Waterman said testing has been difficult, in part because the drugs can be detected in a horse's system only three to five days after being ingested, but the effects last longer.
He said there was uncertainty whether three days before the race is the right time to test a horse. But, added Waterman, "It's better than post-race, I'll tell you that much."

So the NFL and MLB need prior permission to test their athletes and aren't forthcoming with the results but Derby officials can (not-so-randomly) test their athletes. In both cases, the health and safety, as well as the image of the sports, are the main reason for the testing. I believe that especially MLB should follow the lead of the horse industry.

Also this weekend, The Fight that "will save boxing" takes place in Vegas at the MGM Grand which has become the Mecca for great fights. I think that Saturday could go down as one of the greatest days EVER!!! Derby, potential for a great fight AND Cinco de Mayo?!?!?! The stars have aligned! (Hopefully the horses will not 'roid rage and attack each other!)

Coming Soon...

The Washington Capitals will unveil their new uniforms at a special Draft Day Party on Friday, June 22, held at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, Va. The event will be held in conjunction with the live broadcast on Versus of the first round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, which takes place that evening in Columbus, Ohio.

The new uniforms will mark a return to a red, white and blue color scheme – the colors the Capitals wore from their first season in 1974-75 through 1994-95. The Capitals are the first team in the NHL to announce their plans to unveil their new uniforms, which are produced by Reebok and feature the Rbk EDGE Uniform System technology that was introduced at the 2007 NHL All-Star Game in Dallas. The Capitals are the first team planning to have their new uniforms on hand at the NHL Entry Draft.

Further details about the event will be announced in the coming weeks.

Wanna race?

There are advantages to sports in L.A.: Shaq was able to appear in some terrible movies and Rick Fox became better known for his on screen play than his moves in the Lakers' purple and gold. But when done right, the synergy that sports and Hollywood can provide is amazing:



The pair helped raise money for charity during their race which was won by Pete. (Details and video here).


Dr. Phil, you have some new crazies coming your way including a fun mascot next week. Someone who should be on your show is my favorite person, Psycho Stalker , who likes to send random e-mails to my friends. I hope all is well Dr. Phil and good luck because you will have your hands full.


I'm off to drink wine on the balcony.

Mr. Roboto and free fallin' in the draft

This is for Laura who is currently holding my first child hostage until I update my blog...

Dice-K was the talk of MLB, Boston and Japan today but who stole the show? That's right, the newest Mariners' ace, King Felix! Felix tossed a one-hitter to quiet the crowd and the frenzied Japanese media. Go M's!

Speaking of Japan:
So if you are Japanese and are playing a baseball game in Japan for a Japanese team and you speak Japanese, in what language would your name be on the back of your jersey?
Dice-K vs. Ichiro
So we import Japanese cars but export uniform lettering? Doesn't seem like the most fair trade to me, but then again, I'm not an economics specialist!

First, Mr. Junior Red Wing was resigned and now this!! Could anything else happen to the poor Caps this offseason? There was an 8% chance that they would drop in the draft and of course, that is what happened. Supposedly, there are only 4 decent players in this years draft (No Ovie or Crosby-esque players here) but the NHL draft isn't like the other leagues' drafts; NHL teams tend to draft by best available and NHL-readiness and not necessarily how a player fits into their system.
Speaking of hockey, from the Colbert Report: "I just figured out the difference between baseball and hockey: baseball is the one with all of the Hispanics."

And speaking of baseball:
I think that the Expos were better playing in Puerto Rico than in Washington, D.C.!!!

Football and Drinks

I had the chance to attend the Boswell launch event to night at Play bar/club/human torture chamber. As I have preached for the last decade, women (for the most part) that follow soccer players are very attractive. Tonight's crowd was no different as there was the additional plus going out to all of the tall ladies "in the house". However, the really mean, ugly and scary chick in the blue shirt should not have been invited; if you can't smile, relax about the occasional bump from others and just have a good time, you shouldn't be at a sports mixer/promotion party/cleat chaser event. The only thing worse than her attitude was the DJ. The music was TOO LOUD, his "mic work" needed lots of work, his ADHD needs to be controlled as some people like to listen to more than just 15 seconds of a song and oh, by the way, play some music that the room will enjoy. Instead of DJ Grandmaster Flex, Bobby had DJ I-am-going-to-try-to-dress-like-a-DJ-but-still-somehow-play-music-like-I-have-no-idea-what-decade-I'm-in. As for the guest of honor, Mr. Boswell was very nice, took time to chit-chat and pose for photos with fans and even got on the microphone to thank everyone for their help.

I'd also like to take a quick moment to give a Blogout to Mr. Steinberg over at THE Sports Bog for having the amazing skill of being able to interview those in line while still somehow being able to appear manly while holding the Canadian gift bag of stereotypes. Just don't hurt yourself while chugging that maple syrup, Dan.

GO X!

30 seconds left and XU just score to tie the game!!

BYU brings it down the court and calls time out…

Ainge takes a shot, rebound BYU then another quick shot but no good, rebound to Lavender. He’s fouled with 11.2 left in the game. He goes to the line and calmly hits both! Time out and CBS zooms in on the XU cheerleaders. Sadly, the Xavier squad was made for radio.

BYU brings the ball up, Ainge is bringing the ball up the court but is taking WAY TOO MUCH TIME. He drives down the middle, missed lay-up, clock ticks, ball on the floor, bodies flying, BYU puts up a shot and it goes in as the buzzer sounds…too bad they need four points, not just two!

XAVIER WINS!! XAVIER WINS!!

Bring on Thad and his Buckeyes. So what if Thad cashed in his XU chips at the height of Xavier basketball for his current gig with THE Ohio State University and their star player, the one-handed Oden? So what if OSU has one of the poorest graduation rates in the country? So what if their “student”-athletes don’t even attend most classes??